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July 23, 2007

Local Peace Corps volunteer sharing message

By Jamie Musick

07/24/07 —

Learning about countries across the globe has become more interactive than ever. It was once a matter of viewing personal photo albums and reading first-hand accounts, but computers have taken such information to a new level of communication — blogging.

Becoming increasingly popular among many teenagers and young adults, blogs resemble online journals and allow people to share information, experiences and

photographs with their family and friends — or anyone else who cares to check out the blog site.

And a local resident is using this high-tech idea to her advantage. Carrie Pavlik, a Peace Corps volunteer, created her own blog to bring her overseas adventure to life for family and friends back in Meadville. The 2006 graduate of Allegheny College and 2002 Meadville Area Senior High School graduate took off in January for Zambia, a country in southern Africa, where she’ll be living until April 2009. She is living in a small village near Zambia’s capital, Lasaka.

And anyone can follow her journey as she is “Carrieing on in Zambia,” according to her blog’s title, through photo albums and monthly entries at www.carriezambia.blogspot.com.

From living in a mud hut and growing her own garden, to dealing with pesky rats and termites, Pavlik is experiencing a unique type of lifestyle. “I think the most rewarding experience has been living in this village because it’s so different than living in the United States,” she said. “There were a couple cultural challenges for me. Standing out (as an American) is a big thing here. Visiting people is very common.

“People would come to my house for a couple of hours to visit, so it was hard to relax at first, but then it wore off that I was an American. The people here are incredibly friendly and nice.”

When she first arrived in Zambia, Pavlik stayed with a host family to adjust to the country’s culture. However, despite the lack of modern conveniences like electricity and running water, it didn’t take her long.

And now it’s practically just like home, according to her mother, Diana. “In the village, she interacts with people and she’s trying to think of a way to help them generate more income in the area, because it’s a poor area,” Diana said. “I think she has a sense of what’s really important and she doesn’t spend her money in a frivolous way. She just likes to help people and live life simply.”

And Carrie isn’t limiting her goals. As an education volunteer, she is working on developing Zambia’s education system. “I’m trying to get a library started at the school,” she said. “I’m also trying to do a lot with HIV education and dispelling myths about it. One of my main goals is to try to work on gender and equality and to try to get people to think differently about that.”

Pavlik is more than ready for the challenge, according to Diana. “I was concerned for her safety at first, but I was proud of her,” she said. “I wish I was brave enough at her age to do that. She had been thinking about it (joining the Peace Corps) for a while and had it all planned out.”



Jamie Musick can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at jmusick@meadvilletribune.com.

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